The prices, fairly standard at around £500, are interesting. What else could one buy for that price in 1958? And how much was a new Cooper?

An entry level racing dinghy (sailing boat) was about £100, a small yacht about £500. I beleive one might still have bought a small house for £1,000.

David: how much was a second-hand 250F in 1958 (or, for that matter, a new one)? I seem to recall being told that when Moss's father and Alf Francis bought Moss's 250F in 1954 the price was £5,000, for which sum they could also have bought a second-hand Spitfire!

The only sale I recall off the top of my head at about that time was Ross Jensen's ex-Moss 2508, which had lain idle at the factory from early 1956 until its sale in late 1957. The price was, I believe, £1500 - or £2000 by the time it got to NZ. I once worked out that the price equated with a mid-sized house (in NZ)

Ian Raby left Car Exchange in the summer of 1957. Empire Cars was established in mid-1958. It ended up on Preston Road, Brighton, but I don't know how early it moved there (certainly by the mid-1960s)

As far as I can make out, the racing side operated as Ian Raby (Racing) and cars sold through the organisation were fitted with a chassis plate marked as such.

Brimotors was Trevor Shaddick. However, I can't allocate any of the Mk XIs to him at that time.

Eccles is Alan Eccles.

One JB Buckland raced 500s 1955-1958 (mainly 1956-57) with a Kieft, but I have no address or any evidence to place him around Lewes. He mainly appeared at the Southern circuits (Brands, the Palace, Goodwood) and in early 1956 appeared under the Car exchange & Sussex Racing team banners (both noms de course for Ian Raby).